DATE: August 11, 2026
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Sanja Bugay, Director, Department of Social Services
SUBJECT: Foster Family Agency License Application
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
1. Approve and authorize Director of the Department of Social Services to submit an application to the California Department of Social Services, Community Care Licensing Division, for a Foster Family Agency license; and
2. Adopt Resolution to appoint the Board of Supervisors to serve as the governing body of Fresno County's Foster Family Agency, designating the Director of the Department of Social Services as Chief Executive Officer of the agency, and designating administrators for the agency.
REPORT
Approval of the recommended action is required by the California Department of Social Services (CDSS) Community Care Licensing Division to submit a Foster Family Agency (FFA) license application. Pending subsequent review and approval, an FFA license will allow the Department of Social Services to continue to provide Intensive Services Foster Care (ISFC) services via the FFA model, switching from the current Public Delivery Model. There is no Net County Cost associated with the recommended action. This item is countywide.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
Should your Board not approve the recommended action, the Department would be unable to access resources determined to be critical for continued operation and development of the Department’s ISFC program. The Department would potentially need to reduce levels of service and, depending on the availability of further alternatives, may be unable to continue to operate the ISFC program currently in operation, thus losing a valuable resource for keeping youth at the least restrictive level of care.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no additional Net County Cost associated with the recommended action.
DISCUSSION:
The Department has operated an ISFC Program since May 10, 2018. Currently the Department supported between 70 - 50 children monthly in Department approved foster family homes and/or relative placements through its existing program. ISFC is an intensive services program designed to ensure that higher acuity youth in foster care can receive the services they need in a home-based family care setting to avoid or exit a short-term residential therapeutic program (STRTP), group home (GH), or out-of-state GH care.
CDSS provides Counties two avenues of operating an ISFC program, the “Public Delivery Model” and the FFA Model. The Department has evaluated and determined that there are long-term infrastructure sustainability and financial advantages to the FFA model in terms of reduced county share of cost. Long-term financial viability of the program is dependent on this improved share of cost ratio. The FFA model allows for a long-term administrative funding component which would allow the Department to maintain and improve services. However, the FFA model is only available to licensed FFAs, the Department thus recommends pursuit of licensure as an FFA through the CDSS Community Care licensing (CCL) Division.
With your Board’s approval, the first recommended action will allow the Department to submit the licensing application to CDSS Community Care Licensing Division as the first step toward implementing the Licensed FFA. This recommended action does not guarantee CDSS approval for the FFA license nor obligate the County to open and/or operate an FFA if it is later deemed not programmatically or fiscally feasible. If the application is approved by the CDSS Community Care Licensing Division, the Department will return to your Board for any items that require Board approval.
The second recommended action is for the approval of a Resolution required by the Foster Family Agencies Interim Licensing Standards Chapter 8.8, Section 88218. The Resolution acknowledges your Board’s role as the governing body of the FFA, appoints the Director of the Department of Social Services as Chief Executive officer of the agency, and appoints qualified Department staff as Administrators of the agency. Formal acknowledgment of these roles is necessary to receive licensure.
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
On file with Clerk - FFA Resolution
CAO ANALYST:
Ron Alexander